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If all you wanted for Christmas was a set of PlayStation Europe deals on Rainand Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut, we'd say you ought to expand your horizons. As such, it's not for us to judge your lack of imagination, but to simply inform you that a Christmas miracle happened, and all your wants have been met. Huz-zah.

So, shun that 179-gear mountain bike and that Game of Thrones box set complete with 100 percent genuine dragon eggs, and make your Christmas complete by grabbing PS3 artistic puzzler Rain for £5.49 (€7/AU$10.35) and the enhanced Director's Cut of The Lone Survivor on Vita for £4.79 (€6/AU$8.85).

Those prices drop an additional 10 percent for PlayStation Plus members, and as with all the discounts in PlayStation Europe's 12 Deals of Christmas campaign, they'll be available for 48 hours across today and tomorrow.

PS Plus subscribers can transport themselves to the kingdoms of Amalur this week with a free PS3 download of Reckoning. Discounts have been extended to select THQ games such as Darksiders 2 and Red Faction: Armageddon, as well as Rocksmith and Persona 4: Golden. Finally, rounding out this week's offerings is the chance to be Ellen Page in a free demo for Beyond: Two Souls.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beyond-two-soulsfatal-frame-3kingdoms-of-amalur-reckoningnba-2k14playstationplaystation-vitaps3psn-tuesdaypsprainsonyvitaTue, 01 Oct 2013 22:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/10/01/rain-review-d0dfd870/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/10/01/rain-review-d0dfd870/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/10/01/rain-review-d0dfd870/#comments
There are many different kinds of rain. The shower that comes out of nowhere and is gone just as quickly. The driving storm that makes you think about building an ark. The gentle mist that makes the summer air even thicker. And then there's the steady, relentless thrumming of drops beating a steady staccato on your roof, never slackening, never intensifying, just monotonously droning on and turning your day into a doleful shade of headache gray.

Rain, the latest from Sony's Japan Studio and PlayStation CAMP, falls into that last category.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Japan-Studioplaystationps3rainrecommendedsony-japan-studioTue, 01 Oct 2013 09:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/08/21/rain-drops-on-psn-this-october/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/08/21/rain-drops-on-psn-this-october/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/08/21/rain-drops-on-psn-this-october/#commentsRain, Sony Japan Studio's adventure game that has players guiding the silhouette of an invisible boy through a downpour, will launch on October 1 through PSN, Sony announced. The PS3 exclusive game will cost $14.99.

Those who pre-order Rain before September 30 will also receive a dynamic theme, 5 avatars, a musical montage and static theme in addition to "a few pieces of exclusive content."

Aside from letting Rain's release date slip, Sony also offered up a new developer diary video for the game, which is centered around its music.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acquireplaystationpre-orderpre-order-bonusps3rainrelease-dateSCE-Japan-StudioSONYWed, 21 Aug 2013 17:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/08/02/soak-up-the-world-of-rain-in-new-developer-diary/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/08/02/soak-up-the-world-of-rain-in-new-developer-diary/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/08/02/soak-up-the-world-of-rain-in-new-developer-diary/#comments
This developer diary video for Rain explores the ways players will interact with and affect the game's wet environments when it launches this fall on PS3.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acquiredeveloper-diaryPSNrainSCE-Japan-StudioSCEAFri, 02 Aug 2013 20:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/14/rain-preview-ps3/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/14/rain-preview-ps3/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/14/rain-preview-ps3/#comments
The concept at the heart of Rain is magical. Looking out his window, a boy witness an invisible girl, her silhouette revealed by the rain as she runs splashing through the night. She's followed by another invisible entity outlined by the rain, a ferocious bipedal monster, which is referred to only as an "unknown."

Fearing for the girl's life, the boy chases after her, following her and the monster through a strange door of light. Emerging on the other side, the boy finds himself in different though familiar world. It looks like his own, a seemingly European city filled with alleyways, though this world is cloaked in perpetual night and never-ending rain. In this world, he too is invisible, his presence revealed only by the rain pattering against his body. The boy sets off in search of the girl, looking for answers. Is he cursed to remain invisible? Can he ever return to his own world?

Those will have to wait though, as the boy is soon running from a pack of different four-legged monsters. He quickly discovers that invisibility has its advantages. By hiding under structures so that the rain doesn't give away his position, the monsters can no longer see him.

Normally, this sort of storybook world would be right up my alley (see: my Unfinished Swan review), but I'm afraid Rain's big trick may be its only trick.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acquiree3-2013japan-studioplaystationps3rainsce-japan-studiosony-japan-studioFri, 14 Jun 2013 20:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/02/sony-sponsored-etoo-event-in-london-is-an-alternate-to-e3/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/02/sony-sponsored-etoo-event-in-london-is-an-alternate-to-e3/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/02/sony-sponsored-etoo-event-in-london-is-an-alternate-to-e3/#comments
Londoners not attending E3 this year have a video game-centric event of their own to attend called "EToo." EToo was announced as an alternative to E3 with both Sony and PlayJam's GameStick headlining the event as sponsors. The event's press release noted that over 30 developers will show off their latest games. Demos of Lost Planet 3 and DuckTales will be presented by Capcom and The Last of Us and Rain will be on display as well, to name a few.

EToo will be held at the Loading Bar in Soho from Monday, June 10 through Thursday, June 13. The daily events will be free to the public but require registration in advance, while nightly livestream shows have a £6 entry fee. Hopeful attendees will have to act fast, as the June 10 evening show has already sold out.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Capcomducktalesducktales-remasterede3e3-2013Etooetoo-londoneventsgamesticklondonlost-planet-3playjamRainSONYthe-last-of-usSun, 02 Jun 2013 19:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/30/rain-drops-onto-psn-this-fall/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/30/rain-drops-onto-psn-this-fall/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/30/rain-drops-onto-psn-this-fall/#comments
And now the weather: PSN can expect Rain sometime this fall. The Sony Japan Studio game, reminiscent of Ico, sees you play as a boy who's only visible as a silhouette outlined by rain. He finds a girl like himself being chased by similarly invisible monsters, and the pair work together as they try to escape the perils of the night.

With Sony Japan Studio forecasting Rain to arrive in a matter of months, it's no shock we'll be seeing more of the game in a couple of weeks time at E3.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acquireplaystationplaystation-campps3psnrainSCE-Japan-Studiosony-japan-studioThu, 30 May 2013 07:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/26/first-rain-footage-falls-at-gdc/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/26/first-rain-footage-falls-at-gdc/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/26/first-rain-footage-falls-at-gdc/#commentsSurprisingly, since the Gamescom debut of Sony Japan Studio's Rain, we haven't seen any actual gameplay footage. We've seen comparison images of Rain's environments soaked and dry, but now Sony's finally offered up some footage of the adventure game in action.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gdc-2013playstationps3rainsony-japan-studioTue, 26 Mar 2013 04:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/25/seen-gdc-rains-handmade-pamphlet/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/25/seen-gdc-rains-handmade-pamphlet/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/25/seen-gdc-rains-handmade-pamphlet/#commentsKen Suzuta, associate producer on Rain, put in the extra effort to convey his game's mechanics at a glance for GDC attendees: Suzuta created numerous pamphlets for the game by hand. Above, you can see the inside full of glossy cut-outs of game art, while just past the break is the other side, featuring an origami umbrella and the words, "A tale only the rain knows..."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gdc-2013ken-suzutaplaystationps3psnrainsony-japan-studioMon, 25 Mar 2013 21:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/17/sonys-rain-shows-its-invisible-world-in-a-downpour-of-picture/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/17/sonys-rain-shows-its-invisible-world-in-a-downpour-of-picture/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/17/sonys-rain-shows-its-invisible-world-in-a-downpour-of-picture/#commentsSony's Rainstars a young boy trapped in an invisible world brought to life only by the rain - when it pours, the boy, a young girl and all manner of strange creatures are made visible, gallivanting around our own world. Six new images, separated into dry and wet pairs, demonstrate the breadth of emotion and action Rain hopes to achieve.

The first set of images come with the tagline, "Sometimes rain reflects loneliness." The second reads, "Sometimes rain brings melancholy," and the third pair says, "Sometimes rain soaks through the heart." We'd like to add that rain also helps flowers grow. Check out all of the images in the gallery below.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>playstationps3PSNRainsceSCEJSun, 17 Mar 2013 18:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/11/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-spate/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/11/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-spate/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/11/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-spate/#commentsIndie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Eric Provan dissects the beauty of rain, hallucinations and mystery with Spate, coming to PC, Mac and Linux in Q3.

What's your game called and what's it about?

My game is called Spate. Spate is the journey of one man's descent into madness that is fueled by his addiction to absinthe, following the tragic death of his daughter. He is hired to investigate mysterious disappearances that have been occurring on an island offshore, and figures that he has nothing left to lose. The detective hopes to uncover some of the island's mysteries, but is finding it increasingly difficult to battle his own pain. As his absinthe use increases it becomes harder and harder for him to tell reality from fiction. Soon he finds he is fighting for more than just the missing people - he is fighting against the madness as well.

Out of all the drinks someone can be addicted to, why absinthe?

Truthfully, absinthe began as an excuse for me to make weird stuff. I love abstract art, and needed a logical reason to include it in the game. Today it is mostly debunked, but for hundreds of years it had been thought that absinthe caused hallucinations. This works for the steampunk theme, the gameplay, the story and the visuals.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiq-indie-pitchLinuxmacpcRainspateMon, 11 Mar 2013 21:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/15/the-invisible-made-visible-in-ps3s-rain/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/15/the-invisible-made-visible-in-ps3s-rain/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/15/the-invisible-made-visible-in-ps3s-rain/#commentsSCE Japan Studio's puzzle-adventure game Rain is a lot more intriguing, and its trailer much more quietly beautiful, when you can actually see it. Sony released yesterday's trailer online this morning, allowing you to get as good a look as you can considering the protagonist's invisible nature.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamescom-2012playstationps3psnrainWed, 15 Aug 2012 09:48:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/14/rain-announced-for-psn-from-sce-japan-studio/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/14/rain-announced-for-psn-from-sce-japan-studio/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/14/rain-announced-for-psn-from-sce-japan-studio/#commentsRain, an atmospheric looking PSN game from Sony Computer Entertainment's Japan Studio, was just announced during Sony's Gamescom presser. The story centers on a little boy who has become invisible, and the player's only distinct impression of the boy's position is through interacting with the world's ever-pouring rain.

It's like that scene from Hollow Man, but way more endearing and way less super freaky. No information was given regarding a release date, and it's worth noting that Rain is the game's working title.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Gamescom-2012Japan-Studioplaystationps3RainTue, 14 Aug 2012 14:01:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/07/sony-trademarks-rain-until-dawn-in-eu-and-us-before-gamesco/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/07/sony-trademarks-rain-until-dawn-in-eu-and-us-before-gamesco/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/07/sony-trademarks-rain-until-dawn-in-eu-and-us-before-gamesco/#commentsSony is either preparing a few unannounced IPs for the public eye, or it's really concerned about the weather at Gamescom next week. Sony has trademarked "Rain" and "Until Dawn" in the US and Europe, both as "computer game software." The above image was included with the Rain filing via OHIM, the European trademark system.

Until Dawn was registered on OHIM in May and on USPTO in August; Rain hit both OHIM and USPTO on July 30. No additional information is provided in the filings, but OnlySP links the Rain trademark with a gif depicting an unknown PlayStation quick-time-event (mostly because it happens to be raining in the scene). The image in Rain's filing takes a more Limbo approach than the gif suggests, but for now any speculation is just that.

Sony's Gamescom press conference is on Tuesday, August 14, and the trademark timing seems right for a reveal.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>freddy-kruegerkenshimicrosoftmortal-kombat-2011Netherrealm-Studiosplaystationps3rainskarletwarner-broswbiexboxSat, 25 Feb 2012 04:45:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/11/100-percent-chance-of-rain-with-new-mortal-kombat-dlc-on-july-19/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/11/100-percent-chance-of-rain-with-new-mortal-kombat-dlc-on-july-19/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/11/100-percent-chance-of-rain-with-new-mortal-kombat-dlc-on-july-19/#commentsRain, former denizen of Edenia and walking Prince reference, will be joining the twenty-first century on July 19 as Mortal Kombat's third DLC character.

Half god, half severe weather alert, Rain originally debuted in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. It looks like he's retained all of his old tricks, including his lightning bolt, water levitate, and magical-compulsory-teleportation feet. Rain will be available for 400 MS Points ($5), or as part of the Season Pass.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DLCmicrosoftmortal-kombatmortal-kombat-2011Netherrealm-Studiosplaystationps3raintrailerWarner-Bros-InteractivexboxMon, 11 Jul 2011 19:10:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/21/skarlet-enters-the-mortal-kombat-arena-today-kombat-pass-also-a/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/21/skarlet-enters-the-mortal-kombat-arena-today-kombat-pass-also-a/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/21/skarlet-enters-the-mortal-kombat-arena-today-kombat-pass-also-a/#comments
Skarlet, Mortal Kombat's bloody female ninja, is available as paid DLC today. You can get her either as a standalone download for 400 MS Points ($5), or as part of the 1200 MS Point ($15) Mortal Kombat Season Pass on Xbox 360, where you pay a large sum up front and then gain access to all of the DLC cheaper than buying it piecemeal.

We've tucked a gameplay trailer for Skarlet just past the break. She's the first of four new characters promised throughout the rest of the summer.

Warner Bros. also informs us that you can go into your local GameStop and pick up a Kombat Pass there, if you're one of those oddballs who needs a physical object when handing cash over for goods and/or services. Oh, and if you're skipping the DLC altogether, don't forget to download the compatibility pack. It'll net you some retro costumes for Cyrax and Sektor!

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dlcgamestopkenshimicrosoftmortal-kombat-2011Netherrealm-Studiosplaystationps3rainskarletWarner-BrosxboxTue, 21 Jun 2011 19:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/14/skarlet-enters-mortal-kombat-on-june-21-kenshi-rain-one-other/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/14/skarlet-enters-mortal-kombat-on-june-21-kenshi-rain-one-other/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/14/skarlet-enters-mortal-kombat-on-june-21-kenshi-rain-one-other/#comments
Today, IGN revealed that we'll be able to add Skarlet to our roster of Mortal Kombatfighters next Tuesday, June 21. Following the bloody female assassin will be Kenshi, Rain and a mysterious fighter to be named at a later date.

The new DLC (DLK?) characters will be sold individually throughout this summer, and a downloadable compatibility pack will ensure that everyone can see them, even if they don't purchase them. Hit the jump for the announcement trailer.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dlckenshimicrosoftmortal-kombat-2011Netherrealm-Studiosplaystationps3rainskarletWarner-BrosxboxTue, 14 Jun 2011 21:10:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/07/minecraft-beta-update-1-5-to-include-weather-effects/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/07/minecraft-beta-update-1-5-to-include-weather-effects/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/07/minecraft-beta-update-1-5-to-include-weather-effects/#comments
Since everyone knows that Minecraft's raked in a cool $33 million to date, Notch has taken it upon himself to, in true rock star fashion, make it rain. In a series of Tweets this morning, Notch revealed that Minecraft beta update 1.5 will add precipitation to the game, which could possibly have gameplay implications like watering crops, putting out fires, filling small holes and moistening wolves. By the way, "Moistening Wolves" is totally the name of our new, indie noise-rock band.

Notch included an image of the weather effects at the border of two in-game biomes, showing off some sort of fantasy world where distinct rain and snow systems are allowed to hang out and be buddies. We called up our local meteorologist to see if this was a phenomenon that could occur in real life, and he literally exploded.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betaMinecraftMojang-SpecificationsnotchpcrainsnowupdateThu, 07 Apr 2011 11:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/27/heavy-rain-movie/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/27/heavy-rain-movie/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/27/heavy-rain-movie/#commentsHeavy Rain is getting the Hollywood treatment and, hopefully, some American accents to go along with it. David Milch, executive producer of "NYPD Blue" and "Deadwood," is working on an adaptation that will simply be called "Rain." According to Variety, Milch will begin writing the script after finishing work on his current project, a new HBO series called "Luck."

"David Milch's incredible ability to transform intense and complex storylines into gripping, popular drama makes him the perfect partner for us to have on Heavy Rain," producer Bob Shaye told the outlet. We then fictionally added, "Milch's penchant for adding male nudity into NYPD Blue makes him the ideal candidate for this project."

You may know Inis as the developer of fantastic games, such as Gitaroo-Man Lives! (PSP) and Elite Beat Agents (DS). However, Siliconera has unearthed one of the most shameful projects in videogaming history: Rain: Wonder Trip, exclusively for PSP. The "game" has you interacting in all sorts of ways with the notoriously popular Korean pop star, Rain. According to Spencer, Wonder Trip is "an interactive PSP title where you interact with him in his limousine. You can check Rain's schedule, answer questions in QuizBillionaire mode and buy him presents. If you pick the right gift or order his favorite food you can make him happy." Don't you want to make him happy?!

The game was unleashed upon the Korean public a few months ago. While we thought nothing of it, we're shocked, horrified to see Inis' name tarnished by such a desperate project. Please, never do that ever again. Thanks.

Sorry, that's stuck in our head from some really flimsy joke book we read during our childhood. Apparently the joke doesn't really hold up, but it's about the only weather-related joke we've got at the moment. Today's hottest video covers the newly released Wii Forecast channel now gracing screens everywhere. If Nintendo would just release a Murder, She Wrote and a Matlock channel, they could really market this thing to seniors everywhere.

Check out the video after the jump, and then look up the Wii-nter weather on a console near you.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>channelcoldforecasthothurricaneNintendorainsnowTVweatherWiiWed, 20 Dec 2006 00:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/09/heavy-rain-interview-pours-on-the-details/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/09/heavy-rain-interview-pours-on-the-details/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/09/heavy-rain-interview-pours-on-the-details/#commentsIn this whopping 4 page interview with IGN, France-based development team Quantic Dream, who brought us Indigo Prophecy (or Fahrenheit for you foreigners) discusses their title Heavy Rain. Founder and CEO David Cage, COO and Executive Producer Guillaume de Fondaumière, and Lead Character Designer Thierry Prodhomme were all on hand to reveal more information on the title than there was available at E3 a month ago.

The interview reveals that Heavy Rain will not be a direct sequel to Indigo Prophecy and is a "dark film noir thriller with mature themes." The team is also tossing out the Sci-Fi elements of Indigo Prophecy and aim to ground Heavy Rain totally in reality. Heavy Rain is currently slated for a Fall 2008 release.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dreamsheavyindigoplaystationprophecyps3quanticrainsonyFri, 09 Jun 2006 08:25:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/29/korean-rain-falls-on-the-psp/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/29/korean-rain-falls-on-the-psp/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/29/korean-rain-falls-on-the-psp/#commentsAll things considered, there's a marked dearth of
pretty boy singers on the PSP, which is why we all should really drop what we're doing and take note of the
arrival of Korean pop sensation Rain on Japanese
PSPs from Bandai Namco.

The upcoming PSP game is predictably light on details (after all, elements like game
play, depth, and quality of graphics aren't really that important in the grand scope of video games),
but what is somewhat revealed is that players will be allowed to shop, listen to music, watch videos, play a quiz, and
read their "Dairy Horoscope"; and this all with the impressively coiffed Rain at their side.

The
game is slated to arrive in two versions: a standard package at about 50 USD and a limited edition pack at around $85.
Considering how abundantly confident we are that Rain will make a similar splash here in the US, it's probably
prudent to advise that you import your copy of the game early so you can show your friends how truly trendy you are.